fabro/docs/public/reference/user-configuration.mdx

---
title: "Settings Configuration"
description: "Configure CLI and shared machine defaults with settings.toml"
---

Fabro loads machine defaults from `~/.fabro/settings.toml`. The file is optional. If it does not exist, Fabro falls back to built-in defaults.

The CLI and server each read the sections relevant to their own process. On a remote deployment, the CLI machine and the server machine each have their own `settings.toml`.

<Note>
Fabro only reads `settings.toml`. Older `cli.toml`, `user.toml`, and `server.toml` filenames are no longer part of the supported config surface.
</Note>

## File location

The default path is `~/.fabro/settings.toml`.

Use `fabro server start --config /path/to/settings.toml` if the server should read a different file.

## Schema version

Every Fabro config file must declare its schema version with a top-level `_version` key:

```toml title="settings.toml"
_version = 1
```

Files that omit `_version` are treated as version `1`. The legacy top-level `version` key is no longer accepted and raises a targeted rename hint.

## Who reads what

`settings.toml` uses the same schema as `.fabro/project.toml` and `workflow.toml`, but each process only reads the fields it understands. The top-level schema is strictly namespaced — the only allowed domains are `[project]`, `[workflow]`, `[run]`, `[llm]`, `[cli]`, and `[server]`.

| Scope | Examples |
|---|---|
| CLI-only | `[cli.target]`, `[cli.auth]`, `[cli.exec]`, `[cli.output]`, `[cli.updates]`, `[cli.logging]` |
| Shared run defaults | `[run.model]`, `[run.environment]`, `[environments.<slug>]`, `[run.checkpoint]`, `[run.inputs]`, `[run.prepare]`, `[run.pull_request]`, `[run.integrations.github.permissions]`, `[run.hooks]`, `[run.agent.mcps]` |
| Shared LLM catalog | `[llm.providers.<id>]`, provider-scoped `[llm.providers.<id>.models.<slug>]` offerings, limits, features, controls, and costs |
| Server-only | `[server.listen]`, `[server.api]`, `[server.web]`, `[server.auth]`, `[server.storage]`, `[server.artifacts]`, `[server.slatedb]`, `[server.scheduler]`, `[server.logging]`, `[server.integrations]` |

`[cli.*]` and `[server.*]` stanzas are owner-specific: they are only consumed from `~/.fabro/settings.toml` (plus process-local flags and env overrides). The same stanzas in `.fabro/project.toml` or `workflow.toml` remain schema-valid but runtime-inert.

See [Server Configuration](/administration/server-configuration) for the server-owned sections.

## Precedence

Shared layered domains (`[project]`, `[workflow]`, `[run]`) use this override order:

1. **CLI flags** — always win
2. **Environment overrides** — Fabro-defined override channels
3. **`workflow.toml`** — per-workflow overrides
4. **`.fabro/project.toml`** — project defaults
5. **`~/.fabro/settings.toml`** — machine defaults
6. **Built-in defaults**

Owner-specific domains (`[cli.*]`, `[server.*]`) use a narrower trust boundary — only CLI flags, env overrides, `~/.fabro/settings.toml`, and built-in defaults apply.

## Full example

```toml title="settings.toml"
_version = 1

[cli.target]
type = "http"
url = "https://fabro.example.com/api/v1"

[cli.exec]
prevent_idle_sleep = true

[cli.exec.model]
provider = "anthropic"
name = "claude-opus-4-6"

[cli.exec.agent]
permissions = "read-write"

[cli.output]
format = "text"
verbosity = "normal"

[cli.updates]
check = true

[cli.logging]
level = "info"

[llm.providers.proxy]
display_name = "Acme Gateway"
adapter = "openai_compatible"
base_url = "https://llm-gateway.example.com/v1"
aliases = ["gateway"]

[llm.providers.proxy.auth]
credentials = ["env:ACME_GATEWAY_API_KEY", "vault:ACME_GATEWAY_API_KEY"]

[llm.providers.proxy.extra_headers]
x-portkey-api-key = "{{ secrets.PORTKEY_API_KEY }}"
x-portkey-config = "@bedrock-prod"

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large"]
api_id = "provider-wire-model-name"
agent_profile = "anthropic"
display_name = "Team Code Large"
default = true
aliases = ["team-code"]

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".controls]
reasoning_effort = ["low", "medium", "high"]
speed = ["fast"]

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".costs]
input_cost_per_mtok = 1.50
output_cost_per_mtok = 8.00

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".costs.speed.fast]
input_cost_per_mtok = 3.00
output_cost_per_mtok = 16.00

[run.model]
name = "claude-sonnet-4-5"

[run.git.author]
name = "fabro-bot"
email = "fabro-bot@company.com"

[run.pull_request]
enabled = true

[run.integrations.github.permissions]
contents = "write"
pull_requests = "write"

[run.agent.mcps.filesystem]
type = "stdio"
command = ["npx", "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/workspace"]
startup_timeout = "15s"
tool_timeout = "90s"

[run.agent.mcps.filesystem.env]
NODE_ENV = "production"

[run.agent.mcps.sentry]
type = "http"
url = "https://mcp.sentry.dev/mcp"

[run.agent.mcps.sentry.headers]
Authorization = "Bearer sk-xxx"
```

All fields are optional. Include only the sections and keys you want to override. A single file can still include both CLI and server sections when you run both processes on one machine, but explicit remote targets do not read remote server state from the local machine.

{/* generated:options */}
## `[cli.target]`

Connection info for commands that target a remote Fabro server.

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.target]
type = "http"
url = "https://fabro.example.com/api/v1"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `type` | `"http"` \| `"unix"` | None | Explicit transport selection. |
| `url` | string | None | Required for `type = "http"`; the API base URL. |
| `path` | string | None | Required for `type = "unix"`; the absolute Unix socket path. |

## `[llm.providers.<id>]`

Define or override an LLM provider. Provider IDs are strings, so custom
providers can be added when they use an adapter Fabro already supports.

```toml title="settings.toml"
[llm.providers.proxy]
display_name = "Acme Gateway"
adapter = "openai_compatible"
base_url = "https://llm-gateway.example.com/v1"
priority = 50
enabled = true
aliases = ["gateway"]

[llm.providers.proxy.auth]
credentials = ["env:ACME_GATEWAY_API_KEY", "vault:ACME_GATEWAY_API_KEY"]

[llm.providers.proxy.extra_headers]
x-portkey-api-key = "{{ secrets.portkey_api_key }}"
x-portkey-config = "@bedrock-prod"
x-team-secret = "{{ secrets.gateway_team_secret }}"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `display_name` | string | provider ID | Human-readable provider name. |
| `adapter` | string | built-in value | Adapter registry key, such as `"anthropic"`, `"openai"`, `"gemini"`, or `"openai_compatible"`. Required for new providers. |
| `agent_profile` | `"anthropic"` \| `"openai"` \| `"gemini"` | derived from `adapter` | Agent profile used for project memory, CLI/ACP command selection, and native session routing. Override only when a provider needs profile behavior different from its adapter. |
| `billing_policy` | `"openai"` \| `"anthropic"` \| `"gemini"` \| `"none"` | derived from `adapter` | Provider-owned billing algorithm for usage estimates. Override for exceptional providers such as local no-billing runtimes. |
| `base_url` | string | built-in value or adapter runtime default | Provider API base URL. Required for most custom OpenAI-compatible providers. |
| `auth` | table | omitted | API-key auth config. Omit the table entirely for providers that need no API key; any `extra_headers` are still attached. |
| `auth.credentials` | array<string> | required when `auth` present | Ordered credential refs. Accepted forms are `vault:<NAME>`, `env:<NAME>`, and `aws_sigv4` (sign requests from the AWS default credential chain — Bedrock). Literal secret strings are rejected. |
| `auth.header` | `"bearer"` or `{ custom = "Header-Name" }` | `"bearer"` | Primary API-key header policy. Omit when the provider uses a standard bearer token. |
| `extra_headers` | table | `{}` | Additional headers attached to provider requests. Values are literal text or `{{ secrets.NAME }}` interpolation strings. Put credentials in a secret and reference them with a token, not a bare literal. |
| `priority` | integer | `0` | Higher-priority ready providers win unqualified model and default selection; ties use canonical provider ID. |
| `enabled` | boolean | `true` | Set `false` to disable a provider after lower-precedence layers define it. |
| `aliases` | array<string> | `[]` | Additional provider names accepted by model routing and fallback config. |

## `[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>]`

Define or override one provider's offering of a model. The table key is the
canonical model slug Fabro users reference. An offering's identity is the
pair `(provider, model slug)`, so different providers may use the same slug
and aliases. `api_id` is the opaque model string sent to this provider's API
and defaults to the exact model slug.

```toml title="settings.toml"
[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large"]
api_id = "provider-wire-model-name"
agent_profile = "anthropic"
display_name = "Team Code Large"
family = "team-code"
default = true
probe = true
enabled = true
aliases = ["team-code"]
estimated_output_tps = 80

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".limits]
context_window = 200000
max_output = 32000

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".features]
tools = true
vision = false
reasoning = true
reasoning_effort = "levels"
prompt_cache = true

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".controls]
reasoning_effort = ["low", "medium", "high"]
speed = ["fast"]

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".costs]
input_cost_per_mtok = 1.50
output_cost_per_mtok = 8.00
cache_input_cost_per_mtok = 0.30

[llm.providers.proxy.models."team-code-large".costs.speed.fast]
input_cost_per_mtok = 3.00
output_cost_per_mtok = 16.00
cache_input_cost_per_mtok = 0.60
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `api_id` | string | model slug | Opaque identifier sent to this provider's API. An explicitly empty value is invalid. |
| `agent_profile` | `"anthropic"` \| `"openai"` \| `"gemini"` | provider profile | Agent profile override for this model. Model overrides take precedence over provider overrides. |
| `billing_policy` | `"openai"` \| `"anthropic"` \| `"gemini"` \| `"none"` | provider policy | Billing algorithm override for this model — for models whose billing family differs from their provider's (e.g. Claude served through OpenRouter bills Anthropic-style cache reads/writes). |
| `display_name` | string | model ID | Human-readable model name. |
| `family` | string | model ID | Family label used for catalog display and matching. |
| `training` | string | None | Training data cutoff label. |
| `knowledge_cutoff` | string or TOML date | None | Public knowledge cutoff label; TOML dates normalize to `YYYY-MM-DD`. |
| `default` | boolean | `false` | Whether this is the provider default model. |
| `probe` | boolean | `false` | Whether this model should be preferred for provider connectivity probes. Set `false` in a higher-precedence layer to clear an inherited probe marker. |
| `enabled` | boolean | `true` | Set `false` to disable a model after lower-precedence layers define it. |
| `aliases` | array<string> | `[]` | Additional model selectors accepted by routing and fallback config. Aliases may repeat across providers, but one selector cannot identify two models within the same provider. |
| `estimated_output_tps` | number | None | Estimated output tokens per second for catalog display and planning. |

## `[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.limits]`

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `context_window` | integer | None | Maximum context window size in tokens. |
| `max_output` | integer | None | Maximum output tokens, if known. |

## `[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.features]`

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `tools` | boolean | `false` | Whether the model supports tool calls. |
| `vision` | boolean | `false` | Whether the model accepts image inputs. |
| `reasoning` | boolean | `false` | Whether the model has reasoning behavior. |
| `reasoning_by_default` | boolean | effort-capable models: `true`; other models: `false` | Whether requests reason when no `reasoning_effort` is supplied. Set this explicitly for always-reasoning routes that do not expose an effort control, or for effort-capable routes whose provider defaults reasoning off. |
| `reasoning_effort` | `"levels"` \| `"always_adaptive"` \| `"none"` | `"none"` | Whether the model endpoint supports a native reasoning-effort parameter. `levels` accepts discrete effort levels; `always_adaptive` accepts effort levels with natively always-on adaptive thinking; `none` has no native effort parameter. |
| `prompt_cache` | boolean | `false` | Whether prompt cache pricing/usage applies. |
| `sampling_params` | boolean | `true` | Whether the model accepts classic sampling parameters (`temperature`, `top_p`). |

## `[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.controls]`

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `reasoning_effort` | array<string> | all standard levels when feature is `"levels"` or `"always_adaptive"` | User-facing reasoning effort values Fabro may send for this model. Can be set explicitly for reasoning models whose provider adapter maps effort to a non-native API shape. |
| `speed` | array<string> | `[]` | Additional speeds beyond implicit `standard`; do not list `standard`. |

## `[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.costs]`

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `input_cost_per_mtok` | number | None | Input cost in USD per million tokens. |
| `output_cost_per_mtok` | number | None | Output cost in USD per million tokens. |
| `cache_input_cost_per_mtok` | number | None | Cached input/read cost in USD per million tokens. |

## `[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.costs.speed.<speed>]`

Per-speed cost overrides use the same keys as
`[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.costs]`. Each `<speed>` key
must be declared in
`[llm.providers.<provider>.models.<model-slug>.controls].speed`.
The `standard` speed is implicit and always uses the base cost table.

## `[cli.updates]`

`[cli.updates]` — upgrade check toggle

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.updates]
check = true
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `check` | boolean | true | Check for new Fabro releases during supported CLI commands. |

## `[cli.output]`

`[cli.output]` — generic CLI output defaults

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.output]
format = "text"
verbosity = "verbose"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `format` | "text" \| "json" | "text" | Output format for commands that support machine-readable output. |
| `verbosity` | "quiet" \| "normal" \| "verbose" | "normal" | Default output verbosity. |

## `[cli.exec]`

`[cli.exec]` — `fabro exec` defaults

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.exec]
prevent_idle_sleep = true
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `prevent_idle_sleep` | boolean | false | Prevent idle sleep on macOS while an exec run is in flight. |

## `[cli.exec.model]`

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.exec.model]
provider = "anthropic"
name = "claude-opus-4-6"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `name` | string | None | Model name for `fabro exec`. |
| `provider` | string | None | LLM provider for `fabro exec`. |

## `[cli.exec.agent]`

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.exec.agent]
permissions = "read-write"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mcps` | table | None | Agent-scoped MCP entries for `fabro exec`. |
| `permissions` | "read-only" \| "read-write" \| "full" | "read-write" | Tool permission level for `fabro exec`. |

## `[run.model]`

`[run.model]` — provider-neutral default model selection

```toml title="settings.toml"
[run.model]
provider = "anthropic"
name = "claude-sonnet-4-5"

[run.model.fallbacks]
"claude-sonnet-4-5" = ["openrouter:kimi-k3", "gpt-terra"]
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `fallbacks` | table<string, array<string>> | {} | Model-keyed fallback chains. Each value is an ordered list of bare<br />providers, bare model IDs or aliases, or provider-qualified<br />`provider:selector` values. A qualified selector may be a model ID,<br />alias, or provider API ID. Legacy `provider/model` values remain<br />accepted. Each list supports the `...` splice marker at layering time.<br />Fabro selects one chain from the original requested model. A fallback<br />target never activates another model's chain.<br /><br />Model keys stay unresolved in this sparse layer because `fabro<br />validate` is offline and has no server model catalog. |
| `name` | string | None | Model name for workflow runs. |
| `provider` | string | None | Provider name for workflow model selection. |

## `[cli.logging]`

`[cli.logging]` — process-owned logging configuration for the CLI

```toml title="settings.toml"
[cli.logging]
level = "info"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `level` | "error" \| "warn" \| "info" \| "debug" \| "trace" | "info" | Default CLI log level. |

## `[run.git.author]`

```toml title="settings.toml"
[run.git.author]
name = "fabro-bot"
email = "fabro-bot@company.com"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `email` | string | "fabro@local" | Git author email for checkpoint commits. |
| `name` | string | "fabro" | Git author name for checkpoint commits. |

## `[run.pull_request]`

`[run.pull_request]` — provider-neutral PR behavior

```toml title="settings.toml"
[run.pull_request]
enabled = true
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `auto_merge` | boolean | false | Enable GitHub auto-merge for created pull requests. Implies `draft =<br />false`. |
| `draft` | boolean | true | Open created pull requests as drafts. |
| `enabled` | boolean | false | Automatically create a PR after successful runs. |
| `merge_strategy` | "merge" \| "squash" \| "rebase" | "squash" | Merge method to configure for the pull request. |

## `[run.agent]`

`[run.agent]` — agent knobs only (Fabro tools and MCPs)

```toml title="settings.toml"
[run.agent]
fabro_tools = true
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `fabro_tools` | boolean | false | Allow workflow agents to use Fabro run-management tools. |
| `mcps` | table | None | Agent-scoped MCP server entries, keyed by name. |

## `[run.agent.mcps.<name>]`

Configure MCP servers for workflow agents. For `fabro exec`-only MCPs, use `[cli.exec.agent.mcps.<name>]` with the same shape.

```toml title="settings.toml"
[run.agent.mcps.filesystem]
type = "stdio"
command = ["npx", "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/workspace"]
startup_timeout = "15s"
tool_timeout = "90s"
```

| Key | Type / values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `type` | `"stdio"` \| `"http"` \| `"sandbox"` | None | MCP transport type. |
| `command` | array<string> | None | Command and arguments for `stdio` or `sandbox` transports. |
| `script` | string | None | Shell script alternative to `command` for process-launching transports. A `stdio` script runs on the host through `sh -c`; a `sandbox` script is evaluated inside the sandbox by non-login Bash. |
| `url` | string | None | Remote MCP URL for `http` transport. |
| `port` | integer | None | Sandbox port for `sandbox` transport. |
| `env` | table | `{}` | Additional environment variables for process-launching transports. |
| `headers` | table | `{}` | HTTP headers for `http` transport. |
| `startup_timeout` | duration | `"10s"` | Max duration for startup and MCP handshake. |
| `tool_timeout` | duration | `"60s"` | Max duration for a single MCP tool call. |

See [MCP](/agents/mcp) for transport-specific examples.
{/* /generated:options */}